Bright Sword: Iron Will 88

Chapter 88: Regiment Consolidation

January 21, 2025

Chapter 88: Regiment Consolidation

The military camp had a dedicated Commander’s office, so Wang Feng no longer had to work in a regular barracks. Walking to the office, Wang Feng pushed open the door.

“Whoa!”

The scene before him was shocking.

Compared to the office, expanding the military camp and cleaning the barracks were trivial matters. The real main course was waiting here.

Wang Feng gasped, “It seems a thorough investigation into corrupt officials is unavoidable. With this kind of scale, it’s hard to say how much money these people embezzled.”

He roughly estimated the office to be at least 150 square meters. For a single-person office, this was quite large.

The office was furnished with mahogany tables and chairs, mahogany flooring; European leather sofas, strangely shaped rock ornaments, and calligraphy and paintings.

Wang Feng pulled out a chair and slowly sat down. Bored, he opened a drawer.

After seeing what was inside, Wang Feng raised an eyebrow slightly: “It’s truly everywhere.”

Inside the drawer, scattered amongst other items, were numerous gold and silver jewelry. A rough estimate suggested it was enough to pay two thousand soldiers’ salaries for a month.

Zhao Fangyuan quickly walked in. Seeing the luxurious office, he was startled: “Commander…this…”

Unlike Wang Feng, Zhao Fangyuan came from a poor family. Even though he was already a Lieutenant General and Chief of Staff, he had previously been commanding battles on the front lines or on the road during military campaigns. He had never enjoyed such luxury.

Wang Feng smiled, “How about it, do you like it?”

Zhao Fangyuan quickly regained his composure and shook his head, “These are all sugar-coated bullets prepared by those local officials, right? They’re testing us with this, tsk tsk tsk.”

Wang Feng beckoned. The office was too large, making it inconvenient for Zhao Fangyuan, who was standing at the doorway, quite a distance from the desk. Even receiving reports was difficult.

Zhao Fangyuan strode forward, “Commander, a telegram from Xiajiashan Village.”

“Three hundred technicians are passing through enemy-occupied territory and are on their way. Besides this, they also reported the recent situation, please have a look.”

Wang Feng took the telegram. Zhu Xiangwen, though originally a housekeeper, seemed unremarkable. But on closer thought, someone who could hold such a position in a wealthy household needed considerable ability.

After two or three months of development, a base area with a radius of 100 kilometers, centered on Xiajiashan Village, was essentially completed. The guerrilla force had grown from a mere hundred people to three detachments, totaling six or seven hundred. They cooperated with the local Eighth Route Army, significantly improving security.

Wang Feng nodded, “Well done. Send a telegram to Zhu Xiangwen, giving him verbal praise and send some money to support their development.”

In the future Shanxi province, the importance of the enemy-occupied battlefield would far exceed that of the front line. Following the trend, forming his own guerrilla force was crucial.

Zhao Fangyuan nodded, “Understood!”

Wang Feng reminded him, “The top priority is to finalize the plan for the establishment of the arsenal and restore production capacity as quickly as possible.”

On his way, he had done his research. Changzhi was indeed a good place. The west and north sides were shielded by large mountain ranges, isolating them from the Japanese army. Because the area had not been affected by the war, its economic development was relatively good. In terms of mineral resources, coal and iron were particularly abundant. The coal mines mainly produced anthracite, of superior quality. Wang Feng was unsure of the exact proven reserves, but he guessed they were substantial. Iron ore reserves were also abundant, although the current mining scale was small compared to coal. Besides these, marble, lead, zinc, and copper reserves were also abundant. He had encountered numerous transport teams on his way, specifically selling mineral resources to other places. This was absolutely unacceptable! In wartime, mineral resources were equivalent to strategic resources! Regardless of Huang Shaohong’s opinion, the outflow of mineral resources must be strictly prohibited. Agriculture was also fairly good. Changzhi is located within the North China Plain, an area with relatively abundant water resources. Abundant water refers to the numerous river systems within the region, but due to the continental monsoon climate and terrain, droughts often occur every summer. But this wasn’t difficult to solve. Constructing some water conservancy facilities to regulate the uneven seasonal distribution of water would suffice. He would leave those headaches to Huang Shaohong. If he was lazy or negligent, it would give Wang Feng a reason to criticize him. He understood the situation perfectly. Because of the Taiyuan arsenal incident, he had suffered suspicion from the Nanjing government. If he clashed with Huang Shaohong again, his military power would be stripped. Chiang Kai-shek prioritized “internal pacification” over “external resistance.” The Japanese army continuously occupied territories. He could tolerate the annexation of Manchuria, he could tolerate the annexation of North China. Even if the Japanese army occupied the Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai region, and the capital Nanjing fell, he could swallow his pride. But his tolerance for domestic political turmoil was almost zero. What Chiang Kai-shek didn’t know was that even if his military power was stripped, it would be useless. Since his time travel, he had never relaxed his leadership of the army. For the soldiers loyal to him, even if their abilities were slightly lacking, he would still promote them without hesitation. Lack of ability wasn’t a problem; they could go to training classes. With the increase in the number of troops, he could no longer control every soldier. But as an excellent leader, he must make good use of his subordinates’ abilities; he only needed to firmly control the middle and upper-level officers.

Wang Feng emptied the jewelry from the drawer, “This is evidence of the officials bribing me. Take this down, count it, and convert it into the specific amount of national currency.”

Zhao Fangyuan’s expression was grave, “Yes!”

Wang Feng, “Also, start recruiting soldiers in the city first, and fill the vacancies in the army.”

“The Japanese army may attack at any time, we must prepare early.”

After a major reorganization, the full complement of a tactical battalion was around five thousand men. Four tactical battalions would require at least twenty thousand men. In addition, there were the combat group’s direct troops, plus the reserve force. At least twenty-five thousand men were needed. This was no small number. Currently, the combat group only had about twelve thousand soldiers, less than half the required number. Now that there was a stable rear base, recruitment was imperative.

Zhao Fangyuan added, “Then Commander, how should Chu Yunfei’s reserve tactical battalion be allocated?”

The Nanjing government’s order had been issued, transferring the North China Combat Group from the Fourteenth Group Army to the Fifth War Zone, becoming a directly subordinate force of the war zone. This was clearly in preparation for the defense of the Jinpu Line. The famous Battle of Taierzhuang and the Battle of Xuzhou would erupt here. Compared to Shanxi, the Huaihai region was flat. From the map, the highest point was only over 200 meters. In the Taihang Mountains or the Lvliang Mountains, such an altitude was insignificant, just like a small mound.

Wang Feng shook his head, “Expand according to the original plan.”

In plain warfare, mechanized units were more suitable than mountain troops. Previously, due to the lack of a stable rear base and independent industrial production capacity, the so-called mountain troops were not significantly different from ordinary troops. But now, stationed in Changzhi, although the raid on the Taiyuan arsenal was risky, it ultimately succeeded, giving him a certain industrial base, allowing for independent weapons production. It was possible to produce some mountain cannons and lightweight artillery, weapons specific to mountain troops, creating real mountain tactical battalions. Furthermore, Wang Feng discovered that the long-dormant “National Policy Tree” function had undergone some new changes after the Taiyuan arsenal incident. Of all the system panel functions unlocked so far, the 3D combat map was undoubtedly the most frequently used. The “National Policy Tree” function was the least used. If not for this incident, Wang Feng would have almost forgotten about it. The next-level branch of “Develop Mountain Infantry” was faintly visible. Although it would not be unlocked until the arsenal resumed full production, the options on the “National Policy Tree” were already visible. There were two completely different paths: “More Specialized Mountain Infantry” or “More Versatile Mountain Infantry.” [“Both national policies can be unlocked simultaneously.”]

Looking at the information above the options, Wang Feng secretly gasped. They weren’t mutually exclusive options?

“I know this one!”

The two policy options were easy to understand. “More Specialized Mountain Infantry” would further enhance the troops’ mountain warfare capabilities. “More Versatile Mountain Infantry” would increase the troops’ combat capabilities in different scenarios, making them more multifaceted.

Wang Feng, as a military enthusiast in his previous life, had a deeper understanding of these two mutually exclusive options. History had already provided the answer. India and other countries developed “More Specialized Mountain Infantry,” stationing mountain troops in specific areas to perform specific military tasks. The United States, however, took the “More Versatile Mountain Infantry” route, which could also be understood as an elite route. For example, the US 10th Mountain Division. Although named a mountain division, its operational range expanded from mountains to cities and other areas over time. Belonging to the airborne army, it had strong rapid reaction capabilities. In other words, one path corresponded to large-scale cluster battalion warfare, and the other corresponded to high-intensity tactical penetration.

Wang Feng scratched his head. The specific effects of the two national policy trees were still invisible; only after the official unlocking would they be revealed. Mountain troops had wide applications in China. Besides Shanxi, the vast hilly regions in the south were also suitable for mountain troops to perform well.

The next day, Huang Shaohong officially arrived in Changzhi County. Learning that Wang Feng had not moved into the prepared courtyard but had chosen to temporarily stay in the military camp, he was somewhat surprised. Corruption was particularly serious in contemporary society. Huang Shaohong, spanning both military and political circles, had a deep understanding of this. Under military rule, corruption in the military was even more severe than in the political sphere. He had heard that Wang Feng’s troops were well-disciplined, their salaries were paid on time, and they never embezzled the pensions due to fallen soldiers. Unexpectedly, he was also like this in his conduct.

Outside the East City military camp, after arriving in Changzhi, Huang Shaohong did not immediately go to the newly established administrative office but went to the East City military camp.

In the office, Wang Feng introduced each item to Huang Shaohong: “Look at this stone, Taihu stone, named after its origin in Taihu Lake, it’s beautiful!”

“And that one, Lingbi stone, if I’m not mistaken, should be from Anhui.”

“Tsk tsk tsk, it truly traveled thousands of miles!”

“If they have the transport capacity to bring such heavy stones from the south, why can’t they transport weapons and ammunition?”

Wang Feng shook his head, sighing.

Huang Shaohong smiled, “Commander Wang, I’ve just arrived, don’t make fun of me.”

Wang Feng, “Why would I do that? You’ll be in charge of administration, and I’ll be in charge of the military. We’re partners. How can I make fun of you?”

Huang Shaohong awkwardly laughed along. He knew that Wang Feng wasn’t referring to him but was implicitly criticizing the Nanjing government’s ineffective warfare and severe corruption, or perhaps venting his dissatisfaction. He had just received news that Chiang Kai-shek, without prior notice, had urgently halted the resolution for his promotion to provincial chairman, citing the imminent danger of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions bordering the war zone. A new resolution was immediately proposed, transferring him to Changzhi to serve as the director of the administrative office—a demotion. It seemed like he was in charge of a region, but his main task was to monitor Wang Feng. Anyone would find it unacceptable to be demoted from a powerful regional official to a small city. Although Huang Shaohong was deeply dissatisfied, he could still accept it helplessly. The supreme commander’s actions were arbitrary. Since he was here, he might as well make the best of it. Huang Shaohong wasn’t entirely pessimistic about this appointment. The troops stationed in Changzhi were Wang Feng’s North China Combat Group. Huang Shaohong had a favorable impression of this force.

Wang Feng sat in his chair and discussed the main topic, “In my opinion, if we want to govern Changzhi well, the top priority is to solve the problem of official corruption.” He pointed to the strange rocks and paintings in the room as he spoke.

Huang Shaohong nodded. Everyone understood the principle, but the actual implementation had many unspoken difficulties. After some thought, he said, “Commander Wang may not know, official corruption has been around for a long time and has become intractable. Even if we use every method, we can only suppress it. To eradicate it…”

“Is difficult!”

Wang Feng frowned, “It can’t be eradicated at all?” He detested this to the utmost degree. He remembered playing “Steel Wire” in his previous life; the first thing he did after accumulating enough political points was to adjust the corruption level.

Huang Shaohong shook his head, “Unless Commander Wang has the heart to make a decisive break.”

Wang Feng leaned forward, “How do we make a break?”

Huang Shaohong was slightly surprised that the other party answered so readily. “According to my understanding, nearly half of the officials in Changzhi are involved in corruption.”

“If we arrest them all, how will the government work continue?”

Wang Feng responded, it seemed their ideas coincided. What truly hindered them from dealing with corrupt officials was merely the significant impact that it could cause a standstill. As for any powerful backers…Don’t be absurd. Huang Shaohong wasn’t a core member of the Nanjing government, but his status wasn’t low either, not comparable to some insignificant figures. Wang Feng was even more so. His army was stationed in Changzhi, with two stars on his epaulets. In terms of status and power, only the leaders of major warlords were above them. If two such powerful figures couldn’t handle the corruption in a few small counties, that would be truly laughable.

Wang Feng frowned, “Then arrest a batch?”

Huang Shaohong, “No.”

“Small counties are different from big cities. It’s very complicated, and the smaller the system, the more easily things can escalate.”

Wang Feng suddenly understood. In high school in his previous life, he had read “China’s Rural Society” many times, though he couldn’t recall the details, he still remembered the general meaning. In some cases, the smaller the place, the harder it was to solve problems. Wang Feng touched the holster at his waist.

Huang Shaohong: “This matter cannot be careless; we need to take our time.”

“First, recruit low-ranking officials from the public, gradually familiarize them with government work, and be able to quickly fill vacancies when necessary.”

Wang Feng nodded, “That’s the only way.”

“There’s one more thing.”

“That is the water conservancy issue…”

Huang Shaohong smiled, praising, “Commander Wang and I arrived in Changzhi one after another.”

“But unexpectedly, Commander Wang had made so many preparations beforehand. I am ashamed; I am truly ashamed!”

(End of Chapter)

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